Department for Transport

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 41675, on shipping: exhaust emissions, what legal and technical barriers his Department has identified that could restrict the growth in green technologies in shipping.

Mr John Hayes: Given the international nature of shipping and with a ship’s life cycle being typically in the region of 25-30 years, the Government’s priority has been to ensure that appropriate international and regional standards are in place for green technologies in shipping. The Government is keen to promote the global application and implementation of technical and where appropriate legal standards, applied fairly across the board, and with industry given as much advance notice as possible of any new requirements. This delivers a level and competitive playing field and clarity of regulatory approach. Currently, our focus has been on barriers which inhibit the development of abatement technologies and alternative fuels which control sulphur emissions. The lack of international technical standards for the storage, loading and the safe handling of liquefied natural gas and methanol is one factor which has discouraged ports and ships from investing in this technology. Uncertainty about whether the global 0.5 per cent sulphur cap will come into force in 2020, or be deferred until 2025 is another. As a consequence the UK is pressing for decisions to be taken as soon as possible to give industry as much time as possible to prepare for the new requirements.

A595

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will conduct a study on the potential merits and feasibility of upgrading the trunk road section of the A595 in 2016.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England, the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, and Cumbria County Council commissioned a study to examine the connectivity, capability, resilience, and reliability of the A595. This will conclude later this month. Highways England has also commenced its evidence-based Route Strategy process. If this section of the A595 is included in the priority list, the next stage would be to consider potential improvement options, which would be developed during the next Road Investment Strategy (RIS) period (2020-2025).

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reports of non-compliant vehicles were sent by the DVLA to NSL Services Ltd in the last year for which information is available; and how many such reports resulted in enforcement action being taken.

Andrew Jones: During the last financial year, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received a total of 191,715 reports from members of the public about vehicles that were potentially unlicensed. These reports are passed to NSL Services Ltd for action, as appropriate. In addition, the DVLA also provides NSL Services Ltd with information about vehicles which could potentially be non-compliant. This information includes instances where vehicles have been declared off road. During the last financial year, enforcement action was taken in 87,844 cases.

Roads

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the maintenance and safety of unadopted roads.

Andrew Jones: The maintenance and safety of unadopted roads or private streets are the responsibility of the land owner. The decision on whether or not local authorities adopt roads, and therefore maintain them at the public expense, rests with each individual local highway authority. To help improve the process around road adoption for new developments, my department has been working with housebuilders and local authorities on the production of an Advice Note. This was published for consultation in January 2016 and the final version should be published later this year.

Motorway Service Areas: Electric Vehicles

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many motorway service stations have rapid chargers installed to allow charging of electric vehicles in (a) Liverpool City Region and (b) England.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England encourages and supports the private sector operators of motorway service areas to provide charge points at their facilities. There are 112 motorway service areas in England and over 95% have rapid charge points installed, which can provide a charge to an electric vehicle in 20 to 30 minutes. The nearest motorway service area to Liverpool is Burtonwood Services at Junction 8 on the M62, where there are two charging facilities.

Cycling

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2016 to Question 42538, what the timescale is for updating the Cycle to Work scheme guidance published on gov.uk; and when he expects to reach a decision on the maximum allowance for disabled cyclists.

Andrew Jones: We will begin the process of updating the Cycle to Work Scheme guidance published on GOV.UK and engage with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over the summer. We will then have a firmer view on the timescales involved for review and any changes to be made. This will include any decision made on the maximum allowance.

Home Office

Domestic Violence: Liverpool City Region

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women were killed by their current or former partner in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and (b) the Liverpool City Region in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The Home Office Homicide Index contains information on partner / ex-partner homicides at the police force area level. Information on the number of women aged 16 or over killed by a partner or ex-partner in Merseyside for each of the last five years is given in the table.Table 1: Number of homicides recorded by Merseyside police where a woman aged 16 or over was killed by a partner or ex-partner, 2010/11 to 2014/15 1,2.3 Merseyside 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Number of victims   Partner or ex-partner406322  1. Source: Homicide Index, Home Office2. Police recorded crime data are not designated as National Statistics 3. As at 13 November 2015; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.4. Partner / ex-partner homicides include the following relationships: spouse, cohabiting partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, ex-spouse/ex-cohabiting partner/ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, adulterous relationship, lover’s spouse or emotional rival.

Hate Crime: Croydon

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of hate crime were reported in Croydon in each of the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office collects information on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police at the police force area level. The Metropolitan police force recorded 13,889 hate crimes in 2014/15.Further information on hate crime can be found in Hate Crimes, England and Wales, 2014/15, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2014-to-2015Data for 2015/16 are due to be published in October 2016.This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.

Vetting: Sports

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential effect of delays in the processing of criminal record check disclosures on sporting activities.

Mike Penning: Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target.Whilst no assessment has been made of the impact of timeliness on sporting activities, it is recognised that delays may create problems for some people. We will not compromise when it comes to the safety of children and vulnerable adults.

Vetting

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Disclosure and Barring Service renewal applications were made prior to the renewal date and issued after the applicants' certificate expired in the last 12 months.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Disclosure and Barring Service checks are yet to be processed which are (a) one, (b) three and (c) six months after the relevant renewal date.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to correspondence with her from the hon. Member for West Lancashire, for what reasons the Disclosure and Barring Service took from 8 October 2015 to 18 April 2016 to process the certificate application of a West Lancashire constituent.

Mike Penning: The Disclosure and Barring Service is responsible for issuing criminal record certificates and the maintenance of children’s and adults’ barred lists. The Disclosure and Barring Service has a target of processing 85% of all disclosure applications within 21 days. In the vast majority of cases (95%), disclosure certificates are issued within 8 weeks (2015/16).Criminal record certificates issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service do not expire after a specific period of time and do not include a renewal date. A certificate has no set period of validity. Information revealed through a Disclosure and Barring Service check reflects the information that was available at the time of its issue. Disclosure certificates are primarily designed to be used by an employer at the point of recruitment for a particular position.Some roles and some employers require the person concerned to “renew” their Disclosure and Barring Service check at specific intervals. The person can do that either by applying for a new certificate or by using the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service.It would not be appropriate to comment on specific cases, but there are a number of factors which can affect the timely completion of checks. These include the length of time if can take for an employer to deal with the initial application, the accurate completion of the application form, the clarity of the information provided, the existence of conviction or non-conviction information, legal challenges and the operational effectiveness of the disclosure units of the police forces involved, if any, in the enhanced process. In some cases, forces will ask Disclosure and Barring Service to clarify some details provided by the applicant which requires further investigation and this can cause further delays.

Asylum: Children

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2016 to Question 37587, whether she is taking steps to reduce the time taken to process applications for the remaining children in refugee camps in Calais.

Mike Penning: Where an asylum claim is lodged in France by a minor with close family connections to the UK, both governments are committed to ensuring that process are in place to expedite reunification. Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK and France have committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively. To assist the handling of such cases, the two Governments have established a permanent official contact group, agreed single points of contact within respective Dublin Units and the UK has seconded an asylum expert to the French administration to improve all stages of the process of identifying, protecting and transferring relevant cases to the UK. We continue to work with the French Government to improve processes.

Slavery: Victims

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward proposals for secondary legislation on identifying and supporting victims under section 50 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Mike Penning: We are committed to ensuring we have an effective system for identifying and supporting victims. We reviewed and are piloting changes to the National Referral Mechanism. We will consider the introduction of regulations once the proposed changes to the National Referral Mechanism have been tested.

Refugees: Loans

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow people who have recently been granted refugee status and have not yet received a refugee integration loan to remain in asylum accommodation.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a strategy for ensuring that classes in English are provided for refugees as soon as possible after refugee status has been granted.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that English classes are provided for refugees as soon as possible after refugee status has been granted.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to provide an integration support service for refugees to help those refugees who have recently arrived in the UK to integrate into local communities.

Mike Penning: We are working towards achieving more integrated communities and creating the conditions for everyone to live and work successfully alongside each other.Those who are granted refugee status are given access to the labour market, mainstream benefits and housing assistance from their local authority. There are therefore no plans to allow refugees to stay in asylum support accommodation.The Home Office offers integration loans to recognised refugees. The loan is designed to help refugees integrate into UK society by offering financial support towards housing costs, employment and training.The Home Office also funds strategic migration partnerships which provide coordination and support services for those organisations working with migrants and refugees in local communities.Earlier this year the Government announced that £20 million of additional funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses would be introduced in October 2016. This funding will reach the most isolated communities in the UK.

Refugees: Children

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many child refugees have been accepted by the UK under the Immigration Act 2016.

Mike Penning: The Government is firmly committed to bringing vulnerable unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, in accordance with the Immigration Act 2016. Over 20 children who meet the criteria in the Act have been accepted for transfer from Europe since Royal Assent, the majority of who have already arrived in the UK.We are in active discussions with the UNHCR, UNICEF and NGOs, in addition to the Italian, Greek and French governments, to strengthen and speed up mechanisms to identify, assess and transfer children who meet the criteria to come to the UK where this in their best interests.As is required by the Immigration Act 2016, we are consulting with local authorities to confirm available capacity and to ensure appropriate support systems are in place.We cannot put a fixed number on arrivals at this point. The legislation is clear that consultation with local authorities is needed before any figure is set. It is vital that their capacity and ability to help is taken into account. We must also ensure that we are able to continue to fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Sudan: Internally Displaced People

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure that people recently displaced by violence in South Sudan receive humanitarian protection.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are working with humanitarian partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (who both receive Department for International Development funding) to assess the situation and mobilise responses where possible, including the provision of water, food and health services for internally displaced persons. However, at present, continued insecurity is a significant barrier to humanitarian operations in some areas. We are pressing for action at the UN Security Council to ensure that United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan has the equipment and unrestricted access it needs to fulfil its mandated task of providing a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

South Sudan: Politics and Government

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to First Vice-President Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan to encourage their political dialogue.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Whilst we have not been able to be in direct contact with President Salva Kiir or First Vice President Riek Machar since the escalation in fighting on 10 July, we have in the past made repeated representations to both, urging them to abide by the terms of the peace agreement they signed up to in August 2015. The further fighting that has broken out is therefore deeply disappointing and we are working with regional and international partners to ensure a clear message on the necessity for a lasting ceasefire and condemnation of violence from all sides.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the preliminary ceasefire recently agreed in South Sudan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) condemned the violence and called on all sides to cease fighting. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) and senior members of Her Majesty's diplomatic service have also been in touch with regional colleagues on how to bring an immediate end to the crisis. At the UN, we are pressing for action at the Security Council including on securing an arms embargo to tackle the flow of weapons and ammunition to those pursuing violence.

Bangladesh: Politics and Government

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) extent of protection of human rights and (b) operation of the democratic process in Bangladesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Attorney General

Human Trafficking

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were charged under section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 in 2015.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were charged in 2015 under (a) section 57 and (b) section 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been charged under (a) section 1 and (b) section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 since those provisions came into force on 31 July 2015.

Jeremy Wright: I am answering on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice, as I am the minister that superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who is responsible for bringing charges.The CPS does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with offences brought by way of Section 1 or Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; or Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004; or Sections 57 and 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. (Sections 57, 58 and 59 were repealed and replaced by section 59A Sexual Offences Act 2003 on 13 April 2013) This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. However, although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the human trafficking offences during each of the last three calendar years. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.201320142015Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 { 4 }207348Coroners and Justice Act 2009 { 71 }362634Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 }005Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 57 }223569Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 58 }843575Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59 }449Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59A }11794Total Human Trafficking Offences Charged167190334Data Source: CPS Management Information System No offences have yet been recorded under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which came into force on 31st July 2015.

Department for International Development

Syria: Refugees

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of Syrian children in Lebanon in education.

Rory Stewart: At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, the UK committed to double education funding for Lebanon, to up to £40 million per year. This supports the Conference goal of getting all refugee children from Syria and vulnerable children in host communities into quality education by the end of the 2016/17 school year. DFID is aligning its funding behind the Government of Lebanon’s national education plans to expand access to educational opportunity; both through formal education, and through quality and regulated non-formal education for the most vulnerable out of school children.

Syria: International Assistance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that other countries follow up the commitments made at the Supporting Syria conference held in the UK in February 2016.

Rory Stewart: DFID has worked closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and other departments, alongside the UN and Co-Hosts, to press countries to deliver on commitments they made at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference. The Prime Minister and Co-Hosts wrote to Leaders of pledging countries in May, to encourage them to deliver on their pledges. Lobbying at senior level has also been carried out in bilateral meetings and at international meetings, such as the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings and the World Humanitarian Summit. The UN General Assembly in September will provide an important opportunity to review progress further and press for more.DFID has also set up a Post-London Conference Financial Tracking Mechanism. This will track and report on delivery of the financial commitments made at the Conference, and will be a key tool to hold countries to account for their pledges.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance is given to local education authorities on the use and facilitation of managed moves between schools for pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Edward Timpson: Current government guidance Exclusion from Maintained Schools, Academies and Pupil Referral Units (2012) advises school leaders that: “A pupil can transfer to another school as part of a ‘managed move’ where this occurs with the consent of the parties involved, including the parents” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion). The government does not provide further guidance on how managed moves should operate.There are two sets of guidance which relate to children and young people with special educational needs moving between schools. The first, which covers children and young people with statements of special educational needs, is the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-sen-code-of-practice). This guidance is due to expire in 2018 as statements are phased out and education, health and care plans are gradually introduced. The guidance which covers children and young people with education, health and care plans is the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years, which was introduced in 2014 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25). For these groups, there are specific statutory processes that must be followed by local authorities, including formal consultation with parents and with any new proposed school.

Special Educational Needs

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department monitors the number of managed moves between schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not monitor the number of managed moves between schools.

Schools: Festivals and Special Occasions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision schools make for Muslim children who want to take time off school for Eid.

Nick Gibb: A school should treat a pupil’s absence as authorised if a pupil is unable to attend on a day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which their parent belongs.This is set out in Regulation 6(2)(b)(ii) of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1751/regulation/6/made

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children and young people who are either educated at home or not in employment, education or training are recorded within the statistics and analysis on statements of special educational needs and education, health and care plans in England published on 26 May 2016; and under which categories such children and young people are recorded.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what establishment types and educational provision arrangements are included within the category of other arrangements made by local authority used in the statistics and analysis on statements of special educational needs and education, health and care plans in England published on 26 May 2016.

Edward Timpson: The number of children and young people with a statement or education, health and care (EHC) plan who are educated at home is not specifically collected in the ‘Statements and EHC plans England: 2016’ publication[1]. However, as these children and young people will be included in the total number of children and young people with statements and EHC plans, local authorities are likely to have included these children and young people in the ‘other arrangements made by the local authority’ or ‘other arrangements made by the parent’ category.The number of children and young people with statements or EHC plans who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) is not specifically collected in this statistical first release. Where young people have a statement or EHC plan and are NEET, they will be included in one of the other categories, e.g. ‘other arrangements made by local authority’ or ‘awaiting provision’.There is not an exhaustive list of arrangements included in the category of ‘Other – arrangements made by the local authority in accordance with Section 319 of the Education Act 1996 or Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014’. The published SEN 2016 guide for local authorities[2] completing this part of the collection is as follows:‘Section 319 of the Education Act 1996 empowers an authority to provide education for children with special educational needs “other than in school”. This may include education in centres run by social services or at home. Children would not normally be on another school register.‘Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014 empowers an authority to provide education for children and young people with special educational needs “other than in school, post-16 institutions, etc”. This may include education in centres run by social services or where the local authority has named home education on an EHC plan.’ [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2016[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-survey-2016-guide

Teachers: Training

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the geographical allocation of placements of teachers to initial teacher training schemes.

Nick Gibb: The table below shows the latest figures for postgraduate trainees by the location of the provider.Number of postgraduate ITT trainees by region, academic year 2015 to 2016   Number of Trainees North East 1,271 East Midlands 1,888 East of England 2,355 South West 2,440 Yorkshire and The Humber 2,807 West Midlands 3,187 North West 4,379 South East 4,473 London 4,969 Grand Total 27,769 Source: ITT Census 2015/16  1) Figures for 2015/16 were extracted on 2nd November 2015 2) Troops to Teachers are excluded   3) Excludes forecast trainees

Graduates: Debts

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the introduction of a programme to reduce or write off student loans for top graduates entering teaching or social work in areas (a) of high social need and (b) struggling to recruit to such professions.

Nick Gibb: Recruiting sufficient, high-quality teachers is central to the Government’s ambition to deliver educational excellence everywhere. High-quality teachers are the single most important factor determining how well pupils achieve in schools. That is why we have already committed to spend over £1.3 billion on teacher recruitment up to 2020. This includes continuing to provide generous tax-free teacher training bursaries to graduates, which are worth up to £30,000 for academic year 2016/17.More trainee teachers started training in 2015/16 than in 2014/15, and a record proportion of new trainees held a first class degree. For courses beginning in 2016/17, so far around 26,000 people have secured a teacher training place, and we have already recruited in excess of targets in primary and several secondary subjects.We review the financial incentives for teacher training every year, and we will continue to test new approaches to recruiting teachers, such as the STEM teacher supply package announced in March 2015.Recruiting and retaining high quality social workers is essential to ensure we deliver high quality services to vulnerable children and families. As already announced, the Government will consult on the future funding of social work education in order to ensure that there will be an adequate supply of social workers with the right skills and training. This is part of a wider, ongoing programme which has seen investment of over £700m since 2010 in social worker training and improvement programmes, including support for a range of routes to expand entry into the profession such as Frontline, a scheme specifically aimed at bringing top graduates into social work, and Step Up.

Religion: Education

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that non-religious worldviews form part of the religious education curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The Government believes in the importance of religious education (RE) to develop children’s knowledge of the values and traditions of Britain and other countries, and to foster understanding among different faiths and beliefs, including non-religious beliefs.We have issued guidance for schools, local authorities and agreed syllabus conferences about the religious studies GCSE and the RE curriculum. The guidance states that there is no obligation for any school to give equal air time to the teaching of religious and non-religious views. It is for schools to determine which religious and non-religious views to cover in their RE curriculum in line with statutory requirements. The guidance recommends that schools teach a wide ranging study of religious and non-religious beliefs across the key stages. The guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-religious-studiesAll schools are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the report entitled Quality, safety and management assurance review at Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, published by Capsticks Solicitors LLP on 22 March 2016; and what discussions her Department has had with the National Offender Management Service on the findings of that report on prisoner health services.

Sir Oliver Heald: NHS Improvement is establishing an independent investigation into the failings reported by Capsticks at Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust. We await the investigation report and will consider its findings carefully. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is committed to learning from these investigations alongside NHS England. When it became evident that prison healthcare services at HMP Liverpool needed improvement, NOMS officials worked closely in risk summits with NHS England, and from January 2015 Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust with Lancashire Foundation NHS Trust replaced Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust as the health service provider at HMP Liverpool.

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will include provision in the planned Prisons and Courts Reform Bill to make the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman a statutory body.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is not a statutory body.

Sir Oliver Heald: We are carefully considering options for future legislation on prisons, including the role of the current Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and will announce proposals in due course.Previous governments have made unsuccessful attempts to secure a statutory status for the Ombudsman. We are confident that the Ombudsman has been able to operate effectively with full functional independence without statutory status but note the arguments for statutory footing to strengthen their current position.

Self-inflicted Deaths in Custody of 18-24 Year Olds Independent Review

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress her Department has made on implementation of the recommendations of the Harris Review.

Sir Oliver Heald: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 19 April (PQ 34222). The government’s response to the Harris Review was published in December 2015 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486564/gov-response-harris-review.pdfWork continues on implementation of those recommendations which the Government accepted which have not already been implemented.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Discharges

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce delays processing medical discharges in the Army Health Medical Directorate.

Mark Lancaster: As I explained to you in my letter of 21 March, the delays in processing requests for retrospective medical discharges by the Army are due to a shortage of clinicians, but that a new member of staff had been appointed to assist with these reviews. I wrote to you again on 12 July and advised you that the backlog is now being processed and each individual will be informed of the outcome of their review as soon as it is completed.

Military Aircraft: Noise

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of noise caused by the training of military aircraft pilots on local communities; and what steps his Department is taking to minimise such noise disturbance.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities to the general public very seriously indeed and would prefer not to cause any disturbance to the general public. Unfortunately, there are no uninhabited areas of the UK large enough to cater for essential training needs. Restrictions are placed on the height, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft in the UK Military Low Flying System.

Defence Business Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will put in place measures to ensure that future CSIIP providers do not offshore work, data and processes which are currently within the remit of Defence Business Services.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS' current operations will be outsourced. In the event of a decision to outsource, any proposals from suppliers to 'offshore' DBS work would need to satisfy relevant MOD, and wider Government, policy and requirements concerning security and data protection.

Defence Business Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish the business case relating to the tender of the CSIIP contract within Defence Business Services; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to publish the business case relating to the future arrangements for Defence Business Services (DBS). Details of the any proposals will be shared with staff and other key stakeholders once a final decision concerning the way forward for DBS is made.

Defence Business Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to include a fully-resourced in-house option in value for money tests on potential outsourcing of Defence Business Services.

Mark Lancaster: In the event that the Ministry of Defence decided to outsource elements of Defence Business Services it would, in line with normal practice, ensure that a rigorous in-house benchmark was developed against which the value for money of any commercial bids could be judged.

Defence Business Services

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what functions his Department carries out centrally which he plans to add to the functions of Defence Business Services; and what the timescale for any such transfer of functions is.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. Decisions concerning whether more work is transferred into DBS may be made where this makes sense for DBS and MOD in terms of efficient and effective delivery of supporting services and, ultimately, value for money. But, at this stage, no final decisions have been made and there are no firm plans or timescales for any such transfers.

Defence Business Services

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any future corporate services integration and innovation provider for Defence Business Services will be permitted to bid for contracts for direct service delivery within the future Defence Business Services contract.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS' current operations will be outsourced. Decisions on whether any future Corporate Services Integration and Innovation Service supplier could bid for service delivery contracts in DBS would be made in line with the procurement legislation and regulations that applied at the time.

Defence Business Services

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what footprint and locations within Defence Business Services his Department is planning for inclusion in the corporate services integration and innovation provider contract.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS' current operations will be outsourced and therefore which locations might be affected.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Health: Children

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if Sport England will take steps to ensure that children's fitness and activity levels do not decline from their term-time levels in the summer holidays.

Tracey Crouch: We want to ensure that all children, regardless of background, ability or where they live, are able to engage in sport and physical activity in a way that interests and benefits them. Through the Government's sports strategy Sporting Future, published in December 2015, Sport England will now invest in sporting provision for children aged five and over - previously the starting age was 14 years old. In addition, Sport England's new strategy, Towards an Active Nation, published in May 2016, sets out their plans to make a major new investment of £40 million into projects which offer new opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport together. Sport England will continue to work with organisations across the sport sector as it implements its strategy.

Food: Advertising

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the feasibility of banning the advertising of junk food before the 9pm watershed; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The Government's Childhood Obesity Strategy, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will set out what more can be done by all. We cannot comment on the contents of the strategy at this stage.

Museums and Galleries: Finance

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37452, if she will commission detailed monitoring of the effect of local authority funding reductions on local authority museum and gallery (a) opening hours, (b) staffing, (c) specific activities and (d) closures.

Karen Bradley: Arts Council England is gathering data on the effects of changes to local authority funding. This Department is also undertaking a Museums Review of the whole museums sector, as announced in the recent Culture White Paper. The Review will be looking at a range of challenges facing the sector and will include museums in receipt of funding from local authorities as well as those which are independent from public funding.

Broadband: Liverpool City Region

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many businesses in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and (b) Liverpool City Region do not have access to high speed broadband.

Karen Bradley: There is a substantial commitment by national government for superfast broadband rollout and £5.46 million of central government funding has been allocated to the Merseyside Connected project. This has led to 39,216 additional homes and businesses now being able to access superfast broadband as a result of the local project, with the aim to have 42,204 additional premises by the end of the project. This will bring superfast coverage in Merseyside to 99% of premises. The Department does not hold data specifically for businesses. The table below shows estimates of the number of premises (both residential and business) without access to superfast broadband in all of the Merseyside and Liverpool City Region constituencies.ConstituencyNumber of PremisesPremises Without Access To Superfast BroadbandBirkenhead44,111458Bootle47,396304Garston and Halewood45,355836Halton44,7391,098Knowsley48,681596Liverpool, Riverside54,7179,022Liverpool, Walton43,483157Liverpool, Wavertree41,345215Liverpool, West Derby40,5790Sefton Central37,979792Southport43,5761,209St Helens North45,1881503St Helens South and Whiston49,1942,410Wallasey42,239562Wirral South33,425760Wirral West32,212816

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for claimants of universal credit to receive their first payment.

Damian Hinds: The information you have requested is not currently quality assured for release. We hope to be able to release data on this later this year after it has been quality assured.

Fit for Work Scheme

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Fitness for Work data his Department receives from GPs, collected under the Health and Social Care Information Centre (Statements of Fitness for Work) Directions 2015, is considered identifiable personal data by his Department.

Penny Mordaunt: The data collected under the Health and Social Care Information Centre (Statements of Fitness for Work) Directions 2015 will be non patient identifiable on extraction and anonymous on publication, and will not contain any personal information that can be used to identify individuals. Additional measures such as aggregation of disease codes and small number suppression will also be applied which means that, for published information, any number less than five will be replaced by a star.

Social Security Benefits: Fife

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants were sanctioned more than once in (a) Fife and (b) Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14, (iv) 2014-15 and (v) 2015-16.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.Information on Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance sanction decisions, by cumulative frequency and geography, is available here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Poverty: Liverpool City Region

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and (b) Liverpool City Region are living in (i) absolute and (ii) relative poverty.

Damian Hinds: This Government is committed to tackling disadvantage and extending opportunity so that everyone has the chance to realise their full potential. Our life chances approach will focus on tackling the root causes of poverty such as worklessness, educational attainment and family stability. The Department for Work and Pensions published the 2014/15 Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics on 28th June 2016. This provides information on individuals living in relative and absolute low income.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-199495-to-201415. The number of households in relative and absolute low income is not available at constituency or city region level. This is because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Jobcentre Plus staff follow the guidance on newly recognised refugees applying for welfare benefits so as to ensure that those refugees are not left without support.

Damian Hinds: We have recently carried out an analysis of the information and instructions available to DWP staff handling claims from refugees and a number of improvements have been made to instructions as a result. These changes have been accompanied by an alert to staff.Jobcentre Plus leaders use a Quality Assurance Framework as a tool to support their work coaches deliver a quality service. This includes a Quality Assurance Standards observation process, which is used by managers to regularly observe interviews with claimants; this observation includes ensuring specific support for refugees is provided.

Work Programme: Fife

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which companies are currently participating in the Work Programme in Fife; and what kind of work experience does each such company to offer to benefit claimants placed with them.

Damian Hinds: The Work Programme prime providers that cover Fife are Ingeus and Working Links. They have complete freedom to innovate and design support based on individual and local need. That support can take many forms, including learning new skills, work experience and developing job hunting techniques. As prime providers they have the freedom to use a network of local specialist organisations to deliver tailored support to the individual.

Social Security Benefits: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's distributed ledger technology benefits payments trial, whether restrictions are placed on where benefit recipients can spend their benefits payments; whether benefit recipients' spending will be tracked; what information is given to benefit recipients taking part in that trial about the potential risks to their privacy; what incentives are provided to benefit recipients to take part in that trial; what data analysis is being carried out as part of that trial and how that analysis complies with Government guidelines on conducting data science projects; and when his Department plans to publish the privacy impact assessment on that trial.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's distributed ledger technology benefits payments trial, whether the services being delivered by that trial have passed the Government Digital Service assessment process; and when he expects the outcome of that trial to be published.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's distributed ledger technology benefits payments trial, what blockchain technology is being used for that trial; whether he plans to dismantle that blockchain technology once that trial has ended; and which organisations outside the Government will have access to (a) that blockchain technology and (b) the data stored as part of that trial.

Damian Hinds: The DWP works continuously with industry partners to identify and test new innovations that could save taxpayer money, safeguard information and better protect payments to customers. The DWP is undertaking some small scale research involving blockchain technology which is expected to last 3-6 months with the results available in the last quarter of 2016. It uses a private permissioned distributed ledger to allow participants to store their transactions, including payments from DWP. Those transactions can then be viewed securely on a mobile application so that they can, if they wish, monitor and allocate their spending into categories, check their available balance and plan future spending. There are currently about 12 people in the trial which we expect to increase to around 24 people by the close. The participants in the trial have complete control over their data and how it is used; the government does not receive or see any of that data. The DWP takes privacy and security extremely seriously and this will form part of the learning from the trial.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for closing the 1993 and 2003 child support allowance IT systems before they reach end of usable life.

Caroline Nokes: The Department’s timetable for the closure of the 1993 and 2003 child support allowance IT systems is currently under consideration.

Personal Independence Payment

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for personal independence payments (PIP) have been rejected since the introduction of PIP; how many applications for PIP have been rejected in (a) Halton constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) Merseyside in that period; and how many people in each of those three areas whose PIP applications were rejected successfully appealed against that rejection in that same period.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for personal independence payments (PIP) have been rejected since the introduction of PIP.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) registrations and clearances split by geographical area (local authority and parliamentary constituency) and by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Information on the number of PIP appeals and their outcomes is published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). A link to the latest national level statistics published on 6 June 2016 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528235/main-tables.xlsx See table 2.7. However, the data is not published at lower geographical levels.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Speed Limits: Lake Windermere

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to review the speed limit on Lake Windermere.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The speed limit on Lake Windermere is governed by local byelaws. It is for the relevant authority, in this case, the Lake District National Park Authority, to make any changes to the current speed limit, if they consider it necessary. The Secretary of State has no powers in this matter unless the authority makes changes to the current byelaws and submits them for confirmation.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on access by farmers to new Countryside Stewardship scheme agreements.

George Eustice: Until negotiations conclude and the UK leaves the EU, all existing arrangements remain in place, including rural development programmes. We are having ongoing discussions with the Treasury because it is important that there is continuity, particularly for agri-environment schemes, without prejudice to future decisions. An update on future funding under current EU schemes will follow shortly.

Water Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support households which are in water poverty.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Water companies already offer a wide range of support to around 760,000 customers that struggle to pay their water bills. By 2020, they have committed to help an additional one million customers. The support they offer includes the nationally mandated WaterSure Scheme, voluntary social tariffs, charitable trusts, debt advice, payment plans and water efficiency advice. The Government is committed to supporting a water industry built around transparency, resilience and affordability. We will continue to work with the Consumer Council for Water, Ofwat and the industry to ensure they continue to provide a fair deal for all customers.

Floods: Insurance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the insurance industry on the development of a Flood Re scheme for businesses.

Rory Stewart: I am aware that some small businesses exposed to high flood risk may be experiencing challenges in finding affordable insurance. My predecessor has met with representatives from the Association of British Insurers, Federation of Small Businesses and the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) among others to discuss the extent of this problem.BIBA is developing a commercial insurance product that is intended to help businesses in flood risk areas access appropriate cover. Government officials are in regular contact with BIBA to monitor how that product is developing.

Food: Procurement

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that government offices and departments procure local food.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to do all it can to ensure that UK suppliers are able to compete effectively for public sector contracts in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service. In 2014 the Government introduced the Plan for the Public Procurement of Food and Catering Services and from 2017 central government will commit to buying fresh, locally sourced, seasonal food, so that all food that can be bought locally will be bought locally. This will include use of a Balanced Scorecard approach to sourcing food which recognises factors such as health and nutrition, resource efficiency, and local and cultural engagement. As contracts are renewed central Departments will adopt this approach. These arrangements will simplify the public procurement process, and should help open up the opportunity to compete to more small and medium sized businesses and local producers.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2016 to Question 42168, what legislative options are being explored by his Department to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

Mr Marcus Jones: We are considering a broad range of possible options, including legislation, to put prevention at the heart of how we tackle homelessness. We are keen to learn from the changes implemented in Wales and want to understand whether similar changes would work in the very different English housing market.

European Regional Development Fund

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on his Department's work with the European Regional Development Fund.

Andrew Percy: This Government remains committed to investment in growth and infrastructure across all parts of the country. As the former Prime Minister made clear, while the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU funding arrangements continue unchanged. It will now be for the Government to begin the negotiations to leave, and set out arrangements for those currently in receipt of EU funds.

Combined Authorities: Essex

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the consideration of the Greater Essex Combined Authority bid.

Andrew Percy: We are encouraging all areas to come forward with locally led devolution proposals. If Greater Essex takes the decision to proceed with a combined authority and consults on those proposals, as statue provides, we will consider whether the creation of a combined authority is likely to improve the exercise of statutory functions in that area and lead to more effective and convenient local government.We look forward to discussing with Greater Essex any proposals they have to form a combined authority.

Local Government: Scotland

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on City Deals in Scotland.

Andrew Percy: The UK and Scottish Governments are ambitious for all our cities and regions. I am therefore pleased that we are currently negotiating a City Deal with Edinburgh and South East Scotland.My Ministerial colleagues remain in contact with the Scottish Government on City Deal matters. And on 30 June, My Noble Friend Lord Dunlop met Keith Brown to discuss this agenda.

London City Airport

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce his planning decision on the proposed expansion of London City Airport.

Sajid Javid: My Department has published a target date for issuing this decision of 28 September. My Department aims to reach all planning decisions ahead of target dates where possible.

Local Government: Scotland

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on City Deals in Scotland.

Andrew Percy: The UK and Scottish Government have worked together to agree ambitious City Deals in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness over the past two years.Building on these deals we will continue to work together to consider any proposals from Scottish cities or regions that seek to drive economic growth. Most recently My Noble Friend Lord Dunlop met Keith Brown on 30 June to discuss this agenda.

Local Government: Scotland

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on City Deals in Scotland.

Andrew Percy: This Government has worked with the Scottish Government and local partners to deliver City Deals that drive local economic growth. The Aberdeen deal, for example, will deliver crucial infrastructure to support the oil and gas sector.Most recently, My Noble Friend Lord Dunlop met Keith Brown to discuss this agenda on 30 June.

Scotland Office

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the effect of the Government's changes to the state pension age on women living in (a) Glasgow and (b) other parts of Scotland.

David Mundell: The difference in State Pension ages for women and men represented a longstanding inequality. The last Government introduced changes to the State Pension age through the Pensions Act 2011 for women and men, following extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. The UK Government has committed over £1 billion to ensure that the maximum change to women’s State Pension age was limited to 18 months compared to the previous timetable, and transitional arrangements are already in place for this to take effect. All women affected by faster equalisation reach state pension age under the new state pension system, which is more generous to many women than the previous system. In the first 15 years, around 650,000 women will receive £8 per week more on average, due to the new state pension valuation.

Devolution: Scotland

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on whether the Scottish Government can seek to negotiate a separate relationship for Scotland outside the EU compared with the rest of the United Kingdom under a devolved power.

David Mundell: Foreign affairs, including the UK’s membership of the European Union, are reserved under the devolution settlement in the Scotland Act. Our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU. We will fully involve the Scottish Government as we prepare for those negotiations.

Devolution: Scotland

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the Government's policy is on whether it has a reserved power to negotiate a separate and different relationship for Scotland with the EU compared with the rest of the UK.

David Mundell: Foreign affairs are reserved under the devolution settlement in the Scotland Act. Our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU. We will fully involve the Scottish Government as we prepare for those negotiations.

HM Treasury

Taxation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the change in tax revenue since the EU referendum; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: There have been no new forecasts made for tax revenue since the EU referendum. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility will produce an updated forecast for receipts revenues (Public Sector Current Receipts) at the Autumn Statement later this year.

Taxation: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has, other than devolution of business rates, to increase Birmingham's ability to levy taxes.

Mr David Gauke: The Government will devolve business rates to local councils in England, giving local government control of around £12.5 billion of additional revenue from business rates. Combined Authority Mayors will be given the power to levy a supplement on business rates bills to fund new infrastructure projects, so long as this has support of local businesses. In addition, the spending review announced that Local Authorities with responsibility for adult social care, such as Birmingham, would be given the power to introduce a social care precept to help support local adult social care services.

Taxation

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to make an assessment of the implications for his policy on fiscal devolution of the findings of the Centre for Cities report, 10 years of tax, published on 7 July 2016, on regional variations in tax generation.

Mr David Gauke: The Chancellor takes into account a wide range external reports and representations when making policy.

Minimum Wage

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions have been brought against companies which have failed to pay the national minimum wage in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The majority of employers identified as paying below National Minimum Wage pay arrears on receipt of a formal Notice of Underpayment. Employers are charged penalties of up to 200% of the arrears due and‎ considered by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for naming. This provides the most effective resolution for those who have been underpaid and helps ensure the arrears due to them are paid. In line with the prosecution policy set out by BEIS, criminal investigations are reserved for the most serious cases. The number of cases brought for prosecution for non-compliance in each of the last five years is set out below:YearCases brought for prosecution2015/1612014/1502013/1402012/1312011/120Each case resulted in conviction. There has been one further successful prosecution to date in 2016/17. During the last year, HM Revenue and Customs have also set up a specialist enforcement team to investigate serious non-compliance and identify the worst offenders for possible criminal investigation. The team works closely with other agencies to tackle labour market abuse and serious worker exploitation.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office EU Unit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the EU Unit has to recruit staff (a) from within and (b) externally to the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Davis: Holding answer received on 14 July 2016



A new Department for Exiting the European Union has been established by the Prime Minister. The staffing requirements for the new department are now being identified.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Government has made of the legal costs it will incur in connection with the legal case brought by Mishcon de Reya in respect of Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's legal costs have been to date  in connection with the legal case brought by Mishcon de Reya in respect of Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union.

Mr David Davis: Holding answer received on 14 July 2016



The government does not comment on ongoing litigation.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Mike Kane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether once Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union has been triggered it can be untriggered before the UK's negotiations on withdrawal from the EU have been completed.

Mr David Davis: Holding answer received on 14 July 2016



The Prime Minister will take the decision about when to trigger article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU. She has been clear that the will of the British people must be respected and delivered.

Infrastructure and Projects Authority

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority are employed on temporary contracts.

Ben Gummer: The infrastructure and Projects Authority currently has 37 people within the business on Fixed Term Appointments.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of how effective his Department has been in promoting the advancement of disabled members of staff.

Ben Gummer: Diversity and inclusion is a key priority for the Civil Service and for the Cabinet Office. The Executive Committee of the Cabinet Office recently commissioned work on a departmental diversity and inclusion strategy, which will be published this month. This strategy promotes a more inclusive culture in the department through key strands of work on leadership, declaration data, supporting those from under-represented groups and promoting the work of the employee diversity networks. A key aim of the strategy is to promote the advancement of those from all under-represented groups, including disabled members of staff.The Cabinet Office promotes a number of cross Government talent schemes to disabled staff, to accelerate their promotion to Senior Civil Service roles. This includes Civil Service wide talent schemes such the Future Leaders Scheme (aimed at G6&7 staff) and the Senior Leaders Scheme (aimed at SCS Pay Band 1). Additionally, it promotes development schemes aimed specifically at BAME and disabled staff including the Accelerate talent programme (for SCS) and the Positive Action Pathway (for staff below SCS).The Cabinet Office has a well established Disability Network staffed by volunteers, which promotes and supports the work of employees with disabilities. In addition, the Cabinet Office recently created the The Disability Action Group, which is a sub-committee of the Cabinet Office Executive Committee and reports to the Permanent Secretary and the Director General Disability Champion on disability confidence and inclusion in the Cabinet Office. The group ensures civil service wide initiatives are acted upon and that our people with a disability are considered in any building, technology or change projects.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff there were in his Department with off-payroll engagements of more than £220 per day in the last six months; and what the job titles were of those staff.

Ben Gummer: From January to June 2016 there were 225 staff employed under the Cabinet Office's mandated contingent labour framework supplied by Capita who were paid £220 per day or more. They worked on a range of roles across the areas listed below. Full data on pay costs is published monthly on .gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/payroll-costs-and-non-consolidated-pay-dataDigitalEngineeringEstates & LogisticsFinance; Audit & AccountancyInfrastructure Projects (Gateway Reviews)Human ResourcesInformation and Communications TechnologyIT Project ManagementMarketing & CommunicationsCorporate administration

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many disabled members of staff in his Department are currently enrolled on the Accelerate talent programme.

Ben Gummer: The Accelerate scheme, launched in April 2016, is a new development programme for talented senior civil servants (SCS payband 1 and 2) from BAME backgrounds and those with a disability or long-term health condition. In the first cohort of the scheme, each department was allocated two spaces. The current number of Cabinet Office participants in the programme with either characteristic is too small to share, based on data protection and data sharing guidelines.

Cabinet Office: Senior Civil Servants

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve the gender balance among Senior Civil Servants in his Department.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve BME representation on the Board of his Department.

Ben Gummer: Diversity and inclusion is a key priority for the Civil Service and for the Cabinet Office. The Executive Committee of the Cabinet Office recently commissioned work on a departmental diversity and inclusion strategy, which will be published this month. This strategy promotes a more inclusive culture in the department through key strands of work on leadership, declaration data, supporting those from under-represented groups and promoting the work of the employee diversity networks. A key aim of the strategy is to promote the advancement of those from all under-represented groups, including women and black and minority ethnic staff.

Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on legal advice relating to Freedom of Information cases in the last 12 months.

Ben Gummer: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department are paid a private secretary allowance.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's guidance on private secretary allowances.

Ben Gummer: There are currently 39 members of staff who are in receipt of a private secretary allowance. Staff at Band B2 or above who currently work in the Private Office of a Director General, Permanent Secretary or Minister are entitled to receive the Private Office allowance. There is no further guidance on the allowance. The authorisation process is robustly enforced within the department, with accountability resting with the Head of Private Office Group.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to publish its assessments of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU conducted in the six months before the EU referendum.

Mr David Davis: The Government published its assessments of the long-term and immediate economic impact of leaving the EU in April and May this year. These can be found at the following web addresses:- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-analysis-the-long-term-economic-impact-of-eu-membership-and-the-alternatives- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-analysis-the-immediate-economic-impact-of-leaving-the-eu

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Chris Elmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many spoilt ballots were counted in the 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Chris Skidmore: Provisional analysis undertaken by the Government has identified that a total of 311,509 ballot papers were rejected at the elections of Police and Crime Commissioners held on 5 May 2016.

Department of Health

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of proposed insurance-based reimbursement funding models, including cap and collar models, on the UK's ability to appropriately reward innovation whilst also tackling antimicrobial resistance.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is in discussions with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry regarding possible future approaches to the pricing and reimbursement of new antimicrobial products, including insurance-based reimbursement arrangements such as ‘cap and collar’ models. These discussions are not yet at a point where an assessment of their effect can be made. However there is potential for such models to reconcile the current contradiction between conservation goals and industry revenue, facilitating appropriate stewardship of antibiotics.

Medical Records: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the decision was taken to end the care.data programme; and with whom he consulted prior to taking that decision.

Nicola Blackwood: On 6 July 2016, two independent reviews published recommendation about data security in the health and care system in England and a new consent/opt-out model for data sharing. These were notified to Parliament in the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS62): https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-07-06/HCWS62/ In light of those independent reviews, NHS England has taken the decision to close the care.data programme. The Government and the health and care system remain committed to realising the benefits of sharing information, as an essential part of improving outcomes for patients. This work will now be overseen by the National Information Board, in close collaboration with the primary care community, in order to retain public confidence and drive better care for patients. This work will be incorporated into the Paperless 2020 programme on technology and improving patient care, in close collaboration with the primary care community.

Medical Records

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the (a) ownership and (b) control by patients of data relating to them.

Nicola Blackwood: Patients have the legal right to access their records. It is unacceptable in anything other than the most exceptional circumstances for health and care organisations to deny patients access to their health records. The Government is committed to providing patients with online access to their records, without charge. By 2019 individuals will be able to write comments, preferences and upload information into their electronic records. By 2020, all care records will be digital, real-time and interoperable. The Department is currently consulting on the National Data Guardian’s recommendations for a new consent and opt-out model for information sharing in the health and care system, and following that consultation will implement new arrangements that will give patients greater control over who can access their records for purposes other than direct care.

Air Ambulance Services: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many air ambulance rescues have taken place in Cumbria in each month of the last 10 years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is not centrally collected.

Autism

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to (a) issue the local authority self-assessment questionnaire on implementation of the adult autism strategy, (b) receive all responses from local authorities and (c) publish the results of the questionnaire.

David Mowat: The fourth local authority self-assessment questionnaire on implementation of the adult autism strategy is expected to be issued under a joint letter from the Department and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, to Directors of Adult Social Services, before the end of July. This is with the aim of receiving responses by 17 October 2016. As with previous exercises, Public Health England will collate and analyse the data received and publish full results and all the individual responses. An exact date for publication has not yet been set but this is likely to happen in the period February to March 2017.

Food: Advertising

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the advertising of junk food on children's diets and health; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Our forthcoming Childhood Obesity Strategy will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet will be working over the coming days and weeks to establish their priorities and how we deliver on these commitments.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NICE has made of the need for clinical guidelines on hidradenitis suppurativa.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it has not made any assessment of the need to develop a clinical guideline on the care of people with hidradenitis suppurativa, nor has it been asked to develop a clinical guideline on this condition. NICE published technology appraisal guidance on adalimumab (Humira) for treating moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (TA392) on 22 June 2016, which recommends its use. Commissioners now have three months in which to put in place funding arrangements.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the capacity of specialist dermatology centres to support people living with hidradenitis suppurativa.

David Mowat: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care. For those patients with the most serious forms of HS who cannot be managed in this way, a referral to a specialised service may be appropriate. NHS England commissions specialised services for people with rare and complex skin conditions and has set out what providers must have in place in order to offer specialist dermatology care. The level of service provision nationally is based on an assessment of the likely patient population who will need to access specialised care. It is estimated that about 10% of patients requiring dermatology services (about 10,000 each year) need care from specialised dermatology centres. Specialised services may provide more intensive therapies with the involvement of a range of health and care professionals, subject to a patient’s needs. More information can be found at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a12-spec-dermatology.pdf

Lyme Disease: North West

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) people and (b) children are being treated for Lyme disease in (a) Halton constituency and (b) Merseyside.

Nicola Blackwood: Most cases of Lyme disease are treated in primary care by a course of antibiotics. Only the most severe cases require hospitalisation and appear in the Hospital Episode Statistic (HES) series. Data for those treated in primary care is not collected centrally. Data from HES for admissions for adults and children where there is a primary diagnosis of Lyme disease are: Halton Constituency of residence – 0Halton Clinical Commissioning Group of residence – 0Merseyside – 0

Mental Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on NHS services provision of the findings in the article entitled, Mental health services, suicide and 7-day working, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in July 2016, related to suicides at weekends.

Nicola Blackwood: The cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) identifies people under the care of mental health services as a high risk group. We have made significant progress in this area over the last decade with the number of inpatient deaths by suicide reducing by more than half. However, we recognise that the number of suicides in people under the care of mental health services in the community has been increasing. We have implemented the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat and now every local area has a crisis care action plan in place. We are also investing an additional £1 billion in mental health over the next five years which includes £290 million to improve perinatal mental health, £247 million to improve liaison mental health services in emergency departments and over £400 million to enable 24/7 treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital. We have accepted the recommendations of the independent Mental Health Taskforce’s Five Year Forward View for Mental Health to reduce the national suicide rate by 10% by 2020/21, local areas to implement multi-agency suicide prevention action plans by 2017 and to take steps so that lessons are learned from all suicides in NHS-funded mental health settings to prevent future deaths. We will publish the annual progress report to the cross-Government strategy later this year which will set out ways we are strengthening the strategy, including how we can reduce suicides in high risk groups.

Diabetes: Health Education

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide support to employers to encourage people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes to attend a diabetes education course soon after they are diagnosed.

Nicola Blackwood: Promoting the best possible care for all people with diabetes is a key priority for this Government. Patient education will play a crucial part in empowering all people with diabetes to manage their condition more effectively and help avoid complications in the future. We know there is much further to go in the proportion of people with diabetes attending structured education programmes. The Department, NHS England and Diabetes UK are currently looking at a number of ways to improve take up.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to people with Type 1 diabetes who self-fund a continuous glucose monitor.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefit to the UK economy of NHS investment in continuous glucose monitors for adults and children with Type 1 Diabetes.

Nicola Blackwood: No estimate has been made of the annual cost to people with Type 1 diabetes who self-fund a continuous glucose monitor. In August 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence provided updated guidelines for both Type 1 diabetes and for children and young people with diabetes. In both, the cost effectiveness, as well as the clinical effectiveness, of continuous glucose monitoring was assessed. Both sets of guidelines outline specific clinical situations where the clinical and cost effectiveness justify consideration of the use of the technology.

Obesity: Children

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 41992, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the childhood obesity strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Obesity is a complex problem with many factors having an impact. For this reason, it is important to ensure that the Childhood Obesity Strategy is as comprehensive as possible. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet will be working over the coming days and weeks to establish their priorities and how we deliver on these commitments.

Nurses: Training

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many qualified UK applicants to study nursing at higher education institutions in England for academic year 2015-16 were rejected; and how many such applicants have been rejected for the 2016-17 academic year.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information relating to the number of applications and rejections for pre-registration nursing and midwifery training is not collected by the Department. Information on applications and admissions to full time education courses in the United Kingdom is collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

Autism

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the last meeting of the National Autism Programme Board, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that waiting times between referral and first assessment for a diagnosis of autism are included in the HSCIC Mental Health Services Data Set, which now includes the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services data set.

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that access to a timely autism diagnosis is included in the next Clinical Commissioning Group Investment and Assessment Framework.

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) a referral or (b) an appointment for an autism diagnostic assessment is captured in published mental health data (i) locally and (ii) nationally.

David Mowat: To support local areas in addressing long waits, NHS England, supported by the Department and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, initiated a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups and local authorities. These visits aimed to develop a better idea of the challenges in securing timely autism diagnosis across all ages, looking at the variability in diagnosis times and sharing good practice to help areas to improve their service. NHS England submitted a report on the visits to the 16 June meeting of the Cross Government Autism Programme Board, which includes representatives of autism third sector organisations and people who have autism. NHS England will have further discussions with relevant organisations over the summer about actions in their report, including on the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework, before reporting back to the Autism Programme Board. In parallel, as recommended by the independent Mental Health Taskforce, the Department is undertaking a five year plan for the development of mental health data to be published by the end of the year. The plan will set out future requirements and timings for developing data to inform pathways of care, which will include requirements for autism in the Health and Social Care Information Centre Mental Health Services Data Set. Data on referrals or appointments for an autism diagnostic assessment are not currently captured in published mental health data.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was to see a Person Centred Therapy Counselor in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) England in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The data are unavailable in the requested format. All therapies provided in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services have been counted as being relevant to "Person Centred Therapy Counsellor", due to the nature of the IAPT programme. Average waiting times to enter treatment for referrals finishing a course of treatment in the year, England and selected clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15. England Numbers   Average waiting time (days)CCG CodeCCG Name2012-132013-142014-15  England30.739.535.1 01FNHS Halton CCG31.336.699.101JNHS Knowsley CCG127.3151.385.799ANHS Liverpool CCG14.917.317.901TNHS South Sefton CCG28.224.424.101VNHS Southport and Formby CCG34.426.825.001XNHS ST Helens CCG41.140.186.712FNHS Wirral CCG53.349.656.1  Data source: IAPT, Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).Notes:1. Waiting time refers to the time between the referral received date and the first attended treatment appointment.2. A referral is classified as having finished a course of treatment in IAPT if it has ended having had at least two attended treatment appointments between the referral received date and the referral end date.3. Note that for 2014-15, CCG is the recorded commissioner, unless this was not recorded or not a CCG, in which case the CCG is derived from the patient’s general practitioner (GP) practice or postcode. For 2013-14 and 2012-13, CCG is based on GP Practice. Where CCG and GP practice were not recorded and could not be assigned, the referral is categorised as 'Unknown'. A list of valid CCGs can be found on the HSCIC website at:http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/data/ods/datadownloads/othernhs4. Data for 2012-13 should be used with caution; as this was the first year of the IAPT dataset, coverage improved over the course of this year.

Royal Blackburn Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to support Royal Blackburn Hospital's accident and emergency department.

Mr Philip Dunne: The provision of accident and emergency services at the Royal Blackburn Hospital is a matter for the local National Health Service. The Pennine Lancashire System Resilience Group is responsible for overseeing system performance and the effective delivery of urgent and emergency care locally. We are making additional resources available to the NHS to deal with increased demand, by backing the NHS Five Year Forward View with £10 billion a year real terms additional funding by 2020-21, compared to 2014-15, and £3.8 billion real terms growth in 2016-17.

Medical Records: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) public, (b) private and (c) third sector money was spent on the care.data programme prior to the decision being taken to close that programme; and what estimate he has made of how much of that money is recoverable.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre are not in a position to provide a final statement of expenditure at the present time. However, NHS England has been clear that the evidence and groundwork from the care.data programme will be incorporated into the health and care system’s Paperless 2020 programme on technology and improving patient care, as overseen by the National Information Board, in close collaboration with the primary care community, in order to retain public confidence and drive better care for patients.

NHS: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff worked in the NHS in each year from 2010-11 to 2015-16; what estimate he has made of the numbers of such staff in each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The number of staff who worked in National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England is collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre and is available from the England table in the following link: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB20913/nhs-work-stat-mar-2016-nat-hee-tab.xlsx Health Education England (HEE) was established to deliver a better healthcare workforce for England and is accountable for ensuring a secure workforce supply for the future. In December 2015, HEE published its Commissioning & Investment Plan for 2016/17. In that report, they forecast that an additional clinical workforce supply of between 24,000 and 82,000 (full-time equivalent) would be available to the NHS by 2020. The range is generated by assumptions in respect of how actively employers attract newly qualifying output from HEE programmes and act to retain their existing staff.

Chronic Illnesses

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Office of National Statistics data, Dementia/Alzheimer's and respiratory disease behind biggest annual increase in deaths since the 1960s, published on 7 April 2016, what assessment he has made of that data on the provision of care for people with long-term care needs.

David Mowat: We are ensuring that the health and care support, that people including those with long term care needs receive, helps to enable them to live healthier and longer lives. For example: - The 2016/17 mandate to NHS England includes objectives to improve quality of post-diagnosis treatment and support for people with dementia and their carers as well as reducing premature mortality, including reducing early deaths (i.e. deaths under 75) from respiratory illness;- The NHS Outcomes Framework 2016/17 sets out the Department’s priority areas for the National Health Service and includes reducing early deaths from respiratory disease;- We have made great strides in the number of people with dementia receiving a diagnosis. Timely diagnosis unlocks the door to appropriate care and treatment; and- We published the Joint Declaration on Dementia Post-Diagnostic Care and Support; signed by leaders across the health, social care, local government and voluntary sector organisations. It sets out a joint ambition to improve the quality of post-diagnostic care and defines what this should look like. In February 2015, we also published the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 (2020 Challenge) which builds on the achievements of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2012-2015. It sets out that by 2020, we want to see: - All people with a diagnosis of dementia being given the opportunity for advanced care planning early in the course of their illness, including plans for end of life;- All people with dementia and their carers receiving co-ordinated, compassionate and person-centred care towards and at the end of life including access to high quality palliative care from health and social care staff trained in dementia and end of life, as well as bereavement support for carers; and- Greater personalisation in the provision of post-diagnosis services. This means building support around the individual with dementia, their carer and family and providing them with more choice, control and flexibility in the way they receive care and support, regardless of the setting in which they receive it. In March 2016, we published an Implementation Plan to support the 2020 Challenge. The Implementation Plan sets out the actions partners will take to ensure the commitments in the 2020 Challenge are delivered.

Maternity Services: Closures

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 13 July 2016 to Questions 42245, 42246 and 42247, whether his Department plans to collect information on how many NHS maternity units (a) have closed in the last six years, (b) are under consideration by his Department for (i) downgrading and (ii) closure and (c) which are consultant-led have been downgraded in each of the last six years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The reconfiguration of local National Health Service services, including maternity units, is a matter to be determined and managed by the NHS.

Women and Equalities

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Finance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment her Department has carried out of the effect of proposed changes to the size of the budget for the Equality and Human Rights Commission on (a) the service it is able to support and (b) access to justice for (i) people who do not qualify for legal aid, (ii) people who cannot afford tribunal fees and (iii) people who do not have a local law centre or whose local Citizens Advice Bureau has closed.

Caroline Dinenage: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has and will continue to receive sufficient funds to enable it to fulfil its statutory functions. These functions include duties to promote and encourage equality and diversity and human rights, and powers for implementing inquiries, investigations and enforcement actions for equality and diversity. As now, the EHRC will continue to support people in individual cases where these are of strategic significance, for example in clarifying the relevant law.Advice for individuals more generally is available from the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which is also funded by the Government.